Breaking Away
by Ayaka-Woulfe
Summary: Len TaoxOC Mikali Tao. A fake Tao girl who has quite the gruesome past with the Tao's buries her memories into the back of her head so she doesn't have to remeber them, but will Yoh's friendship with a purple-haired Tao trigger her memories and her past?
1. Chapter 1

_The re-mastered version of Break Away, the first fanfic I ever wrote. Let's try and finish it this time around! ; ) I hope you all enjoy it though, even if I've moved it around a smidge. Leaves more for you to anticipate. :U - Love Aya._

_*Oh, and just so you know, when there's big paragraphs or sentences COMPLETELY in italics and bolds, it is a memory/dream of Mikali's and therefore is written in the first person. c:_

* * *

_**Light and darkness blurred together as my vision attempted to adjust, swollen eyelids attempting to open and see through the blood that was trickling down them, over the many bruises that had caused them to swell shut in the first place. It was numb for a moment, and that was nice. I couldn't feel the aching soreness of the bruises over bruises, the thousands of cuts, ache placed after ache...**_

_**Though it was too good to be true. It always was. It hit me then, racking my body with waves of pain as I doubled over, clutching my stomach as a scream of pure agony ripped from my throat, rough and ragged as it became audible. I began to cry, a single tear running down my cheek, and within moments my whole body was racked with sobs as I lay on the cold cement, suddenly yearning for the outside world, where I had been brought in from. I had had a simple life of hardships, and being alone hurt so much less than this. So... much...less...**_

_**My thoughts began to fall apart as I began to drift in and out of focus, the darkness creeping in on the edges of my vision again. I heard the door creak open, a small trickle of light coupling the glow from the small window, and that was when I let myself drift into the darkness as the cracks of a whip began to sound from the dungeon, from my little prison cell. Yet I was so numb I could not feel it... Though that would not stop the agony that would hit me the next morning, the scars that would trace my back, something that the numbness could not take away. The crack of the whip snapped again and I let the darkness consume me, the numbness take over.**_

That had been the first beating. But it would not be the last.

She was six then. At such a young age, she was doomed. Doomed to over six hundred hours of beatings. Her freedom, the only thing she wanted. The only thing she never got. But that would change. She'd make sure of that.

* * *

As the sun rose from afar, the birds began to chirp, calling happily together as the bounced from tree to tree gaily. From the window of her room, a small girl stared out, her head resting in one hand. Though she appeared small and dainty from her height of perhaps 5'4", her hands were rough, callused, and she had a fit build, though it was nothing too athletic or overly muscley. She pressed one hand against the window pane, shivering as cold beads of water formed under her hand as the cold window began to condensate.

She drew her hand away, looking out at the world from her window, everything covered in an early-morning dew, much like her hand. She smiled to herself, her caramel-coloured eyes giving off a pleased sort of sheen. She made a sharp turn from the window then, sending the presence of someone else. Her body had tensed automatically, and she was almost ready to leap into the air until it registered in her mind who was standing in her doorway.

"...Anna" she murmured, almost hesitantly at the blonde in front of her, wavering mentally under her hard gaze, but not showing any real reaction on her face other than a blank, slightly surprised look. Anna's hard glare suddenly shifted into a smile, and Mikali's features softened in turn.

"Feeling any better today, Miki?" she asked in a concerned sort of way. Mikali could tell, because only in serious situations did Anna ever called her Miki... For whatever reason, she wasn't sure.

"Yeah", she murmured, her gaze shifting to the floor as she remembered the events of the previous day. It had been a perfectly normal day, in all truths. She had been with Yoh and Manta, running a daily jog, and then... She didn't remember, really. Anna had told her that she had collapsed, clutching her head and screaming mumbled sentences.

Anna's eyes went soft and she moved from her spot in the doorway, making her way over to the girl. "You were suffering some massive headaches, Miki. You kept crying out for help, to make it stop. It was just like..." Anna paused, running a hand through Mikali's hair in a comforting manner as she stared up at her with lost puppy eyes. She was thinking the same thing.

"Just like when we first took you in. You never explained it, never talked about it..." her eyes went cold, hard, sharp. Mikali shivered, though she went as distant as Anna was going. She wasn't revealing anything she knew...

And she didn't know anything anyway, so really, what was there to tell?

"Are you hiding something from me, Miki?" Anna asked, her voice sort of pained. Ever since the both of them were six, they had known each other, thanks to... Special circumstances.

They never knew how Mikali had turned up in front of Yoh's Grandpa's house, or what her story was. Even she didn't know, and she had been starting to get massive migraines lately... The same ones she had experienced upon her first few weeks in the Asakura residence. Anna had plenty reason to be afraid, and so did Mikali.

But she wasn't. She wasn't scared at all. She felt like something big was coming, something she had to uncover, but she didn't know where to look to find it. She sighed, a sad, weak noise, and Anna winced. She didn't sound much better then yesterday.

"Just rest up, Hun. It's early... Sleep in. Maybe you'll feel better later" she instructed, giving Mikali a reassuring pat on the head, like one might give a dog. Mikali didn't seem to mind, and she simply shrugged, running a finger over her scar on right eye. It went straight down the center, and it seemed to be the only scar she had. Anna had told her that when she had found her, she had been covered in them, like they were a second skin. With proper medical treatment, they had all healed... All but that one.

"Alright, Anna. I'll get some rest" Mikali grumbled, her tone reluctant and yet obedient, showing how much she trusted Anna's judgement, and believe you me; she didn't trust many people at all. Never had, and she never felt it was an area that absolutely needed to be expanded on.

"Good girl" she praised, and with that, Anna walked out, probably to make breakfast. Mikali drifted back to the window, staring out of it with strained caramel eyes, as if she was silently sobbing on the inside.

"What am I supposed to find? Where is it?" she murmured into the emptiness of the room, but something told her she'd be finding it soon. Instinct told her she wouldn't like it.

Her confused expression soon being replaced with a scowl, Mikali drew her curtains, blocking out the rising sun and the chirping birds and plunging back into the darkness as she slipped away, asleep before she hit the pillows.

* * *

_**Click-clack, click-clack. It was all I could hear. First the click of heels on cement. That was a maid, almost a servant of sorts. Then the soft padding of two people... How kind. Three people were coming to visit me in my cell. The rest of it was blurred, blurred voices, people who all looked the same... Then the broom. Oh, the broom. Over and over again I was struck... I wondered why I hadn't broken down and cried yet, but I was getting stronger now, and I was stronger than that. Of course, that just made the broom come down harder, faster. A flash of purple, eerie yellow eyes, and then I was wacked again. Laughter... so much laughter...**_

_**I'd get them one day. I'd get them all. Yet the barrage of blows continued regardless. Then, a boy's voice. "You pathetic excuse for a Tao!" he cried out, and the broom smacked me again, slicing across my right eye. I think I might have screamed then, but the memory was slipping away fast... And something told me when I rose in the morning; I wouldn't remember a thing about this memory, this 'dream'... Or that purple-haired monster. Was he what I had to remember? Even if it was, I wouldn't remember it.**_

_**I just... wouldn't...**_


	2. Chapter 2

_Drama, foreshadowing and piggy-backs, oh my!_

* * *

_Mikali woke up with a jolt, letting out a yelp as she crashed onto the floor, her head smacking against it roughly. Of course, to her, it was nothing, but she was still tired and groggy, and she didn't want to move anywhere in particular, unless it involved food. So she lay there, sprawled on the floor, attempting to go back to sleep when the door to her room slams open, making her wince at the loud noise._

'_Note to self. Buy and install lock._' Mikali thought with a grunt, not moving as a brown-haired boy entered her room, a joyous grin on his face.

"Hey", he greeted, waving slightly at her even though she wasn't facing him. Recognizing the voice, Mikali pulled herself up, turning her head full of bed-hair in the boy's direction, attempting to smile despite how tired she was.

"Hey Yoh..." she managed, giving him a weak smile back. "Ready to go?" he asked, grinning as his orange headphones bobbed around his neck. "Wha?" Mikali murmured, for it was all she could manage.

Pulling herself into a sitting position, she turned her whole body to face Yoh, her face confused. "Go where?" "Oh, we made a new friend! He's kind of strange, and he tried to steal Amidamaru, but we have it all sorted out now", Yoh explained, waving his hands around in exaggerated hand movements.

"At least, I think it is", he murmured, almost as an afterthought. Mikali let out a groan, but she knew she wasn't going to get out of visiting this person. She grumbled an untranslatable response and rolled onto her feet, motioning for Yoh to get out.

"I need to get changed", she finally said as Yoh stared at her in a confused manner. "Change? O-oh right. Change", he murmured, as if just noticing the only thing Mikali was wearing was a T-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts. She made the shooing motion again, and this time he obeyed, walking out of the room and closing the door behind her.

She drifted back to the window, pulling the curtains open a smidge. The sun was high in the sky now... She must've slept for awhile. She frowned, pressing her hand up against the glass, but nothing happened.

"Milo?" Mikali murmured half-heartedly, searching the room for the ghost-warrior. As her guardian ghost, Milonae took shape behind her, the whole room began to smell like salt water, and she thought she could hear waves crashing on a shore in the distance. She studied the blue curls and golden eyes of her friend, her face slightly sad. Milonae might've been her guardian ghost, but she couldn't remember how she met her either. She was so un useful...

"Yes, Milady?" Milonae asked in a polite, formal way, tilting her head in a form of mock-bow, her eyes studying Mikali's. Mikali sighed, her gaze shifting back to the window as she drew her hand away from it and pressing it to her cheek. It wasn't cold, but...

"I think something bad is going to happen today... I can feel it..." she muttered, grinding her teeth slightly. But was it? What was so bad, so terrible that it had her stomach clenched and turned, making it feel like it was going to burst at any moment?

She let out a grunt as Milonae watched her with sad gold eyes, not saying anything as her Mistress began to get dressed. Oh, if only she could, but she couldn't bring those memories back by force... It might cause Miss Mikali permanent brain trauma. She sighed, seeming to fade back into the air again as Mikali strutted out of the room, an almost cautious air around her. She'd be prepared for whatever she was scared about... right?

She stalked down the stairs quietly, peeking her head around the corner to see Yoh facing the other direction, in conversation with Manta. Smirking, she decided she deserved some fun too, right? So she took a small running start before leaping through the air at Yoh, landing on his back and making him swing forward violently, though he did not fall. He did let out a rather girly laugh, though, and Mikali burst into a short giggle fit, wiggling her legs and clinging to his back.

"Carry me!" she asked, though it was more of a demand, or more likely an order. Yoh grunted, rolling his eyes, but he was smiling. "Don't you roll your eyes at me!" Mikali accused, giving him a noogie as Manta watched, wide-eyed.

"I'm sick, remember?" she taunted, and Yoh sighed, getting a good grip on her legs so he could carry her. "Whatever you want, _'Princess'_" he said in a mocking tone before he broke into a run, Mikali giggling and clinging to his back while Manta ran after them, running out of breath very quickly.

About half-way there, Yoh collapsed under her, leaving both of them sprawled on the ground as Manta caught up, panting heavily. "Ow!" Mikali complained, though really, it was hardly a scratch.

"I thought I told you to carry me~?" she asked, her voice sugar-coated. Yoh chuckled, shaking his head. "You're too heavy,_ 'Princess'_. Besides, we're almost there. You can walk a little bit and save my back", he said with a groan, rubbing it.

"Why'd you jump on it in the first place?" Mikali shrugged, scowling. "Why'd you make me come?"

"Good question!" Yoh called out, though he did not answer the questioned posed, for he did not know the answer himself. "Well, where is it then?" Mikali said, glancing around as a queasy feeling began to build in her stomach, though she had no idea why.

"Over there", Yoh explained, pointing to a large building that seemed to tower over the rest, though it was really farther back, and yet they were close enough... The headache hit her like a ton of bricks, and she let out a blood-curdling shriek before she fell to the ground, cradling her head as she began to whimper. "No... No... No, please, no..."

* * *

_**Click-clack. The door swung upon and the light filtered in onto my beaten face, and I scowled at the light, blocked my face from it. They'd beaten me and beaten me... What more could they want? I had no time to finish that though, however, for moments after I felt the light, I felt something else.**_

_**Pain. I was shoved into the wall, and there was someone kicking my ribs. It was a woman, because her kicks were weak, not as strong as mine. If I had the energy, I'd reach out and snap her bone... But I didn't have the energy. The darkness began to creep back in, and then the yelling started. Horrible, jumbled yelling... Why did everyone have to yell?**_

_**Then the broom came out. I felt it as my scars were torn open from the pure force of the blow, and I raised my head slightly, staring at the Tao women with a glare of pure hatred.**_

"_**GET UP, YOU WENCH. GET UP!" she hollered, wailing at me with the broom again, but it didn't hurt as much this time, and I just brought my body up into a ball, not bothering to try and stop it, but I wouldn't follow her orders either. If I did, I'd just be setting myself up for more pain, and what was the point of that?**_

_**Thump-thump-thwack. The sound of footsteps echoed within the dungeon.**_

_**I groaned, hugging my knees tighter to me. More Tao's... Ugh. Exactly what I needed. The snide voice Tao Jun rang out into the room, and I practically cringed. I could just imagine who was with her, and I really didn't want to see either of them.**_

"_**You never learn, do you? You stupid, stupid girl!" I could almost see the sneer on Jun's face, the cruel laughter that was being shared with her companion, who I assumed was her brother, Tao Ren.**_

"_**You really need to learn your place. Stealing is a horrible thing, even after we took you in from the streets and raised you! And this... this is how you repay us? You pathetic excuse for a Tao!" I could feel my hands balling up into fists at Jun's words. No, no, that wasn't true. But would they listen? No. They never listened. But I didn't get up. I wouldn't get up, wouldn't give up.**_

_**I heard the soft padding of feet again and I looked up, uncurling from my ball slightly, though it was no sight I wanted to see. Hovering above me was Ren, holding the broom the woman had used to beat me seconds before. In that moment we locked eyes, and I could read every emotion dancing across his face. Remorse, sadness, anger, confusion... He didn't want to do this. But then his gaze became hard, as if he had expected this. Or maybe he just had to, lest he end up like me.**_

"_**GET UP!" he bellowed, and I cringed, but not just from the yelling. He began to viciously beat me with the stick like a fat kid who couldn't open a piñata, like he had to break me open, had to see me bleed, to cry, to break under his torture, but I wouldn't give him the satisfaction. Each blow left a new scar upon my body, adding another wave of pain, and I suddenly wished I was still curled up in my ball. He struck out then, as I was debating whether or not to curl back up, and it hit me right across my right eye, the skin ripping as even my eye began to bleed.**_

_**An animalistic cry of pain ripped from my body as it shook with a single sob, another cry breaking free. I looked up at Ren, that sick bastard. How could he do this when he was almost my age? A simple seven, and yet he was that blood-thirsty? I was afraid to see what the future held in store for him. When I locked eyes with him, giving him the best glare I could muster, his cold demeanor disappeared, and I could see the regret, the fear pass behind his eyes before it disappeared and he returned my glare.**_

_**What were kids of our age doing wrapped up in something like this?**_

"_**Get up", Ren repeated, his voice cold and clipped, not betraying any of the emotion I had seen moments before. It must've been a mistake then... I suppose I imagined it.**_

_**I struggled to my feet, cupping my bleeding eye, but as soon as I rose, Jun was suddenly there at my side, and she lashed out with her foot, and I collided with the steel door with such force I could hear my bones crunch, and I could hear my breath almost fly from my lips as I crumpled to the floor.**_

"_**Come on, you useless sack of meat! MOVE IT!" Jun snapped, as she kicked me in the gullet, pushing the door open behind me as I flew past it, hitting the wall with a sickening crunch before reluctantly getting to my feet as Jun and Ren came out, both glaring down at me. Len pointed to a set of stairs, the lowest level of the basement, and I knew I was done for.**_

"_**P-please, N-" I tried to plead otherwise, but in an instant Len was behind me. He wrapped his arms around my mid-section and tossed me down the stairs. I hit each one, landing in a heap at the bottom. I heard their laughter, and then I heard his laughter. 'Uncle' En. My body froze as two large hands gripped around my legs, and I was dragged off to a different cell... I'm pretty sure every single person in that mansion heard my screams that night. Not like they cared, of course.**_


	3. Chapter 3

Oh gosh. I know it's been more than a year since my last update. I just lost the will to write fanfiction, dismissed it as dumb and stupid. Things like that. I even forgot where this story was going! However, I recently stumbled upon my old plans for chapter 3 and 4, rough skeletons if you will. I am still not extremely fond of fanfiction myself, but I did find myself in the mood to continue writing this. Perhaps I will write two chapters only to not update for another year, or perhaps I will submerge back into the world of fanfiction. I doubt it really, but I am still fond of this story, so. Anything is possible!

I hope you do enjoy Chapter 3, and have a nice day. : )

* * *

_**I was alone at last, left with nothing but myself and the dull ache of every wound, every bruise and every welt I bore as proof of their beatings.**_

_**It had been a few weeks since my last encounter with Uncle En. My body and mind still felt damaged, perverted from his forms of torture. I would do anything to avoid going down to him again, but it was not like my captors would ever pay my wishes any attention. They simply didn't care as I had begun not to care about many things in the time I spent in my cell. After all, the only constant things in my world were pain and suffering… I craved nothing but escape, a thing I hardly had the time to focus. It wasn't often when a Tao wasn't beating me to show me 'what a horrible person I was'. Time to think like this was rare. Being alone was rare. I hugged my knees to my chest, my back turned to the terrible steel door behind me that let Taos come and go. I was going to savor the moment but…**_

_**It quickly became apparent that the moment was not going to last. I flinched as the door swung open, light leaking in and illuminating my dingy cell. I braced myself for a beating, but as time dragged on I realized that nothing was happening. The presence of another was obvious… I could hear their mis-matched breathing, as if they were uncertain or afraid to be in my small world of pain and destruction. I did not turn to see them and the silence dragged on. As an hour passed, I heard them begin to pace. They were confused, perhaps about how to handle me. It was possible that they were new and I would be able to avoid my daily beating but I wasn't going to place much hope behind that thought. I knew better.**_

_**But no beating came. The sound of footsteps echoed through my cell, but nothing else. I was growing curious of this stranger and why they were doing this… Certainly it could not be a Tao in here with me. If it had been, I would have been injured within the first few minutes no doubt about it. Which left me to question who this mysterious stranger was and yet, I still did not turn my head. The mystery intrigued me and I did not want to spoil it for myself. The clack of light footsteps carried on for what must have been another hour and then at last, they stopped. A thunk echoed through the small room as the stranger dropped to the ground, presumably kneeling.**_

"_**I'm…sorry. I'm so sorry, Mikali".**_

_**My eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as my entire body tensed at the sound of the stranger's voice. It was… him. I couldn't believe it. I wouldn't believe it. Every fiber of my being wanted to reject the existence of this entire encounter.**_

"_**No…."**_

* * *

"No….._no_….. no, no, no, no, no, _**NO!**_"

The feverish whisper transformed into a shout as Mikali's eyes flew open. Unaware of her surroundings, the petite girl forced her sore body into a sitting position and began to hack violently into her hands. When she ceased coughing, she let her gaze scour the familiar room. It took a few minutes for her to register that she was in her room back in the Inn, but how? Mikali rubbed her temples and allowed herself to relax against her pillows in an attempt to coax back her memories of before.

"Oh god ...Oh god no".

The events that occurred before she fainted flooded in her cortex all at once, causing her to groan as she began to remember. Images flashed past her eyes of the previous day. Yoh and Manta, hovering over her; worried, frightened. Glimpses of a purple haired boy, a faint memory of arguing, being carried home. That left her here, in the present, to debate about what she had seen. The purple haired boy… Can't be who she thought it was, surely. Even if they were near his residence, it was still far away. Too far for him to come to her aid… Too unbelievable that he would_ ever _come to her aid.

Shaking her head in a weak attempt to shoo away the memories of yesterday, Mikali pushed back the covers of her bed and slipped out. She shed yesterday's clothes and dressed herself in some fresh, crisp and most importantly _clean_ clothing. Feeling somewhat refreshed, Milkali drew back the curtains to her window and inspected the weather outside. It was dreary and the skies were a miserable grey. Not even the sun was visible to her and as such she had no way to tell what time it was which left her with only one option.

To venture outside of her room and face possible confrontation about why she had fainted which was a question she herself could not answer: for she had blocked out everything of her life before she had met Yoh and Anna. She did not want to remember. But with recent events…it seemed fate had a different agenda.

Inhaling deeply, Mikali steeled herself to face the outside world and swung open her door and ventured out into the hall. She silently made her way to the front of the inn, encountering not one person until she reached the main foyer. The hushed chatter cut short as she entered the room, the eyes of the people within it fixated on her. Mikali could not move, could not speak. The girl could not believe her eyes.

She recognized them all, of course. It was not like she had entered a room full of strangers but perhaps that was a problem in this situation. Her eyes darted from person to person, studying them. Yoh looked startled, but pleased to see her awake. She saw his emotions mirrored on the faces of Anna and Manta. Normally she would have been quite at peace in this room, surrounded by her several friends but…

There was another.

"_No…"_


End file.
